Sunday, October 31, 2010

For myself










My wonderful husband took me DFO (direct factory outlet) shopping today as a present for the work that I have been doing. Isn't he nice :-)
I bought a bag to use for work, a pair of sandals, a straw hat (I don't wear hats well, I have apparently a funny head according to my husband we have been all over every shop trying on hats nothing has suited until today!) and the worlds cutest purse.
I will say my new purse is about the size of a clutch, but it stills fits in my everyday handbag. Now why might I be posting about a new purse? Mostly because I can and this is my blog, but also because I got so excited when I saw it as it is made from fabric that is produced from recycled plastic bottles. The environmentalist & recycler in me screamed!
And it is just sooo darn cute!
I just love it, love it, love, love it!
Silly maybe? But I don't think that there is anything wrong with alittle sillyness in life, do you?

Monday, October 25, 2010

Travelling the www

It has defiantly been awhile, but I could resist doing another installment of my......


Today we are going to start with a blog that I have really only been following for this year, I actually think that I found it while I was looking around another blog....can't remember. Anyway, it's called Best & Pieces by Cathy Zielske. I really enjoy this blog cause Cathy is a hybrid & digital scrapper (like me! But I also still really enjoy traditional scrapping as well) she digi scrap in 8X11 format which I do to! Wish that I had a printer that could print 12x12.....one day. Cathy has great video tutorials, and freebies (particularly like the digital page sketches, very useful). In the mix is abit of inspiration, Cathy has taken it upon her self to get healthy and trim up, love the before & after photos and reading about her progress. Go Cathy!


Ok....our 1st stop is technically a website not just a blog. But I was so taken with the colours and the happiness that seemed to radiant from the first page that I couldn't just mention the blog (which is one click away at the top of the page). The website is by Stacy Julian (isn't that smile infectious!), click on her blog and see more smiling members of her family and some great stories about adventures and exploits. Ever have trouble trying to put colours together? I may have found your answer, click on I love colour (or color if your american) and you go to a challenge blog that gives you colour combinations to try, great idea! This website & blog might just be added to my favourites list. I am defiantly going to be spending more time listening to the podcasts!


On we go, now we have arrived at *e* , this blog is by a fellow Etsy Shop seller (there are so many Etsy sellers out there!!!!). Check out her store, such cute stuff, might be a few things on my christmas list this year. While I was reading I cam across a post that made my eyes go wide, dreaming of straw. I have the dream of having a straw bale house one day, the look, the feel & the fantastic insulation properties! Click on the links for the mini art journal challenge, create a mini art journal in 1 year. I love peoples art journals, the freedom and expression is quite magical.


That's it for today, found these two new blogs full of inspiration and ideas I am just going to have to go and get my ideas books and start sketching and formatting.


Sunday, October 24, 2010

Photo's from Girls Weekend Retreat

Here are a few pictures from the Girls Weekend Retreat that I attended last weekend (see the previous post to find out more). There are a couple more pictures to come, I just have to do some extra editing on a few pictures. I somehow managed to turn off the screen on our camera so didn't know what settings I was using. So some of the photos are a bit dark and others are over exposed.











My apologises!

I know, I know, I know it has been awhile, but life has gotten the best of me the last few weeks. Last weekend I attend our Church's first ever Girls Weekend Retreat, oh it was fantastic!

I spent three days with about 40 women from our church, ranging in age from 16 - 60 years. We went to Coolum Beach to a wonderful resort, that was just a walk across the road to the beach. The weatherman had been saying all week that a cold front was coming, bring rain and cold wind (not pleasant weather to be at the beach). But things turned out quite the opposite! Beautiful clear blue skies, and warming sunshine the whole weekend.

I climbed Mt Coolum, ate wonderful food, participated in a sand castle building contest, helped to design & create a gown out of toilet paper, had great fellowship with other women & God, got a fantastic pair of free jeans in a clothes swap & bought a fabulous pair of shorts while shopping in the town.

Since coming home I have been under a huge mountain of laundry and have been battling the piles of things that pile up around our house unless you keep on top of it. But as of yesterday the house is back in order (yeah!!!!!).

Another reason for my blogging absence is that I have been working, yes....working. Parents of a friend of mine needed someone to do some filing and data entry, and my friend put my name forward. They work in Maroochydore on the waterfront, with loads of cafe's all around. Lunch is fabulous sitting near the water, reading a magazine and watching the world go by. It has been so nice to be working again, and I am so thankful to God for his faithfulness and the fact that in my darkest moments he was there to comfort me. God is good!

This is not a full time position, but extremely casual which suits us. I have a great passion for the work that I have been doing with my church thorough our Youth Group and the preteen mentoring group and was apprehensive at the thought of getting a job and having to give up these groups. But God has provided a way of working and making alittle extra money, without giving up the things that God had brought into my life to give me a sense of purpose.

I am going to post some of the pictures from my weekend at the Girls retreat. Just have to crop and edit (I must admit one of my favourite things!)

Monday, October 11, 2010

Treasury Tuesday!

Ok I know that it isn't Tuesday just yet, give me about 5 hours. But I really wanted to share my latest Treasury.


I created this treasury in honor of my cus's three year wedding anniversary, it is all about the number 3. Some really cute stuff.


Congratulations Talia & Luke!

Click here to check out the whole treasury, and while you are over at Etsy check out my store. Will have some new items up this week!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Blog travels

As I have gotten older my body has changed, not just the normal changes that a girl goes through as she gets older, but I have developed allergies & dermatitis. To this day we haven't been able to 100% figure out what exactly it is that causes my dermatitis, which means that I have to apply a cream from my doctor twice daily to stop the itching and reduce the redness and flaky skin. This twice daily cream application means that I spend 2-3hrs a day sitting doing nothing but waiting for the cream to soak in so I get 100% of the benefit.


So while I am sitting waiting for the cream to soak into my skin & the itching to go away, I am going to grab my blog passport and see where my blog travels take me.


Today we are starting in Australia with one of my favourite blogs for great inspiration & DIY ideas. Eat Drink Chic by Amy Moss, Amy is from Melbourne (a place that I hold quite special as I was born in Frankston that is really close to Melbourne). I love coming back to this blog again and again. Great inspiration from fashion, art, colour and weddings (I am such a sucker for a wedding, and Amy has pictures from some absolutely beautiful weddings).


First stop keeping with my love of weddings is 100 Layer Cake, I love the subtitle of this blog 'crafting your wedding layer by layer'. 100 Layer Cake is a collaboration by three friends, click on 'about us' to learn more about these three friends. BTW I love how they have used photobooth style photos on their about page, cute cute cute. I love reading about real weddings, and there are great DIY ideas that you can not only use for a wedding but for creative gifts and party ideas. L-O-V-E DIY!!!!


Next stop is A Field Journal, I'm sorry but I am so drawn to butterflies which is the reason I was so drawn to this blog. The feeling of all the images in this blog is soft and dream like, I can see myself simply getting lost just looking at the pictures on this blog. In amongst the dreamy pictures I have found great ideas for party decorations and for displaying food. My fav post would have to be about making a crepe paper bouquet, I think that I will make one to display in my home, it will look fabulous!


Our final stop is Lovely Packaging. I am the first to admit that I have a shelf in my craft room that has piles of.....well....packaging. Some companies put alot of time an effort into the way that their product looks on the shelf, I am such a sucker for a beautiful piece of packaging and this blog is all about celebrating great packaging.


Check out these blogs and go on your own blog travels, don't forget your passport!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Having a probem......

I have been asked to make a birthday gift for my mother-in-laws sister's 50th birthday, OMG! What on earth am I going to make? So far with my store SuJoh I mostly just make pillows and shopping bags, and I don't think that any of those who be good 50th birthday gifts. I think that this request of me was made because of the card that I made for my sister-in-laws birthday which was on Friday. Next weekend she is having her birthday party which is an Alice in Wonderland themed fancy dress party, and I found a vintage image taken from an original version of the book Alice in wonderland I coloured the image in Photoshop and layered the card with a clock image. My in-laws all loved the card, which I suppose is the reason why I have been asked to make something. Card I can do, I have some great vintage images that I would love to play with the make a 50th birthday card. But as for a gift........

I have had an idea, a framed personalised family tree. Having a little trouble finding the right kind of image. I think that I might have a scrapbooking page in my collection, but that has been earmarked for my own personal use. Though I have had that page for a couple of years without using it so this might be the use I have obviously been waiting for.......

My mother-in-law has said that she wants to pay me for whatever it is that I make, which is good. I have 2ish people who are going to buys something from my Etsy store SuJoh (yeah!).

I have until the 19th October (no pressure!!!), time to go away that formulate some ideas. Maybe some more searching the www.